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What happens in Act 4, Scene 7 of Hamlet?
Claudius and Laertes plot to kill Hamlet in a fencing contest. Laertes will fight with a poisoned sword, and Hamlet will be given a goblet of poisoned wine if he does well. Gertrude announces that Ophelia has drowned.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Act 4, Scene 7. (2-minute read)
What is the significance of Ophelia’s flowers in Act 4, Scenes 5 and 7 of Hamlet?
In Scene 5, when she begins to act mad, Ophelia hands out flowers to Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes (and keeping some for herself), stating the symbolic meaning of some of the flowers as she does so. In Scene 7, she drowns surrounded by flowers, just as she would have been at her wedding or her funeral. In Shakespeare’s day, the symbolic meaning of specific flowers was commonly known, so his audience would have picked up on the intent of both the flowers she explicitly identifies (rosemary and pansies to Laertes for remembrance and thoughts respectively) as well as those she does not (fennel and columbines to Gertrude for flattery and faithlessness respectively and rue for regret for Claudius and herself). She also pointedly says that she would have brought violets (which represented faithfulness) but that none were in bloom when her father died.
The marriage and/or funeral garland she is wearing when she dies is significant because she will have neither a marriage nor a sanctified funeral ceremony—the first because Hamlet abandoned her and the latter because those who died by suicide were not allowed to have full funeral ceremonies at the time.
Read more about Flowers as a Symbol (the second) in Hamlet. (1-minute read)
Is Ophelia’s death as described in Act 4, Scene 7 of Hamlet a suicide?
We aren’t told with certainty, but given the circumstances, it seems like that it is.
Read our Q&A for “Does Ophelia Actually Kill Herself?” (1-minute read)
Is there a video summary of Hamlet?
Yes, SparkNotes has a video on YouTube that discusses the main plot points as well as key topics regarding Hamlet at the link below.
